The Rajasthan High Court, on Friday, decided not to end a 58-year-long marriage between a couple aged over 75 years. The court emphasized that minor disagreements and usual arguments should not be seen as reasons for divorce. The husband’s appeal for divorce was dismissed by a division bench of Justice Sudesh Bansal and Justice Anil Kumar Upman.
The court supported the Family Court, Bharatpur’s ruling that denied the husband’s plea for divorce. The couple tied the knot on June 29, 1967, and lived harmoniously until 2013, as stated by the husband in his divorce petition from May 26, 2014. The bench highlighted that after more than 46 years of peaceful coexistence, couples naturally develop greater tolerance and understanding with age.
The husband alleged that his wife falsely accused him of dowry harassment in 2014, a claim dismissed by the police. He expressed that this accusation caused him embarrassment and harm to his reputation. He further mentioned his wife’s desire to transfer all property to their elder son, while he preferred equal distribution between their two sons.
The wife, on the other hand, accused her husband of mismanaging and dividing family assets and seeking a divorce under his younger brother’s influence. She claimed her husband engaged in extramarital affairs and brought another woman into their room, leading to conflicts and her filing an FIR. She contended that the disputed property was bought with her own funds.
The High Court ruled that disputes over property and family matters are insufficient grounds to dissolve the marriage of elderly couples. It also noted that while the police dismissed the dowry harassment complaint as false, they did not find the allegation of another woman’s presence in the husband’s room to be untrue.
